Labor & Delivery

William Joseph Kessler was born on April 30, 2010, at 5:39 PM. He weighed 9 lbs. 9 ozs. and measured 20.5 inches!

I think I was having contractions all throughout the night, but just thought my stomach was hurting because I had to go to the bathroom (since the pains went away after I went to the bathroom). However, I woke up at 7:30 AM and was having contractions 5-10 min. apart, so we decided to wait it out until my scheduled doctor appt. at 9:30. The Dr. said it was "go time" and that we could go over to be admitted into the hospital. She did an ultra-sound first because she had a hard time getting Will's heartbeat, and at this point she thought he was going to be about 7.5 lbs.!

Next, we went over, got admitted, and Dr. Puckett came down to break my water around noon. That is when things started getting more painful. I was wrestling around with getting pain meds around 5-6 cm because my nurse had me laying on my side, which was extremely uncomfortable, and hard to breathe... but, then I got up and she gave me a bean bag that I could lay on my stomach on, and things began progressing quickly from there. I felt better, and Will really started moving down. I began pushing, out of instinct, and my nurse didn't want me to yet, but I didn't really feel like I couldn't.

Then I pushed for an hour and half, and Will came - naturally, with a little help from the vacuum! :) I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to push much longer, and luckily Will came soon after that! It was a crazy experience, and I still really can't comprehend it.

Now, Bo & I are adjusting to parenthood, and sleep deprivation - which I think is harder for me than Bo. However, like in this entire event - God was extremely gracious and faithful, and I wouldn't have been able to get through it without remembering that amidst the pain! Bo was a great coach too!!! I was in such a "zone" during labor that I just knew that his hand was there to hold and squeeze, and his encouraging words kept me going! I pretty much stopped talking once the labor got hard...

So after all that - Praise the Lord for our little chunky monkey!!! He's so sweet.

39 Weeks...

I can't believe the end of the road is so near... Bo has been quite antsy the last few days and was hoping the baby would come this week. I have gotten more uncomfortable over the past week so I too am now ready for the baby to come whenever he is ready. :)

Bo & I have really enjoyed this journey, and are even more excited for the next step - actually getting to interact with the baby! I have had some disappointment with unmet expectations of what I thought life would look like being pregnant, but it has also greatly exceeded how amazing I thought this experience would be.

I am thankful for God's faithfulness, provision, and grace with me over these past 39 weeks. :)

Photo Shoot

It's exhausting being the photographer and the subject, but Bo & I had fun taking our family prego pics! We are so excited to meet Will, but we are enjoying our last days of "freedom" too! I'm not to the point yet where I'm "done" being pregnant. Praise the Lord it's been a pretty good ride after I got through that 1st trimester.

My April 1st Anniversary

April 1st is a significant day in my life, and not just because I enjoy playing practical jokes on people - especially my boss. It's hard to believe, but 9 years ago (I was 18, yikes!) and I was baptized. Now, I had had a relationship with Jesus for approximately 13-14 years prior to this, and even began really pursuing an intentional relationship with God a year or so prior to this. However, making the decision to be baptized took a lot of thought and consideration. I knew I would be leaving for college in a few short months - I would be on my own. More independent. I knew this would set the precedent for what type's of choices I would make over the next 1-4 years. So I prayed about it, talked about with a couple other friends who decided they were going to be baptized, and we did it together! :) It was a sweet day - a Sunday, rainy (I think), and how appropriate - the earth was being cleansed too! :)

God really took hold of my life at this point in time. I knew that He was always to be most important, and that I wanted to live my life, and make decisions around Him and what He would want. Don't get me wrong... I screwed up a lot after this! But God really did become the central part of my life at this point, and I would never go back. Walking with God is hard, but so sweet, and always worth it. His faithfulness will never cease to amaze me. His grace & mercy will never cease to bring me to my knees. His love is what gives me life. It truly is a "Good Friday!" I fought to be joyous and celebratory today while at work, where it is easy to give way to the bitterness and cynicism.

- A thankful, humble servant

Oat and Almond Breakfast Bars

I found this magazine I liked when I was in Barnes & Noble one day - Light & Delish. I also just found that you can get all these recipes free online at delish.com... It met the "I should have most of these ingredients in my cupboard" criteria (and they looked healthy)! I've actually made like 3 things out of it already, and have loved them, but here is a quick & easy, do-it-yourself granola recipe.

1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lg. egg
2 c. old-fashioned oats, uncooked
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. toasted wheat germ
1/2 c. raisins
3/4 tsp. salt


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13" by 9" metal baking pan with nonstick foil (if not using nonstick, lightly grease foil). 2. In 2-cup liquid measuring cup, stir oil, honey, vanilla, and egg until mixed. In large bowl, with fork, mix oats, flour, sugar, almonds, wheat germ, raisins, and salt until combined. With rubber spatula, stir honey mixture into oat mixture until blended; scrape into prepared pan. With wet hand, pat oat mixtutre evenly into pan. 3. Bake 30-35 minutes or until pale golden around edges. Cool Completely in pan on wire rack, about 1 hour. 4. When cool, transfer using foil to cutting board. Cut lengthwise into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 6 pieces. Store in tightly sealed container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Oat and Almond Breakfast Bars

Posted using ShareThis

4 Years of Wedded Bliss!

Bo & I celebrated our 4 year anniversary with a surprise date, and a trip to Columbus this weekend. Bo picked me up from work on the 4th, took me to Pizza Papalis, and then to see Nemo on Ice!!!! I was truely surprised, and we had a great time.

Some days it's hard to believe we've been married a whopping 4 years, and other days it seems like we've been together forever! Our wedding day was so sweet, and we are so thankful and blessed for what a beautiful day God gave us.

Our 1st kiss! Ever!!

Bo & I singing together, probably during our 1st dance. We like to sing. :)

Check out more Disney on Ice pics on the web!

Baby Bump Update

I can't believe that Baby Will will be here in just a few months!!! I have really love being pregnant, and Bo & I have had a lot of fun preparing for becoming parents. We have our birthing classes this weekend, so I'm sure I will have some great stories to share from that experience!! haha

On Sunday we went and took a tour of the maternity ward in the hospital, and it was really nice!! There's even a pull-out couch for dad. So we just continue to pray for the baby's development, and a "smooth" delivery.